Creating the layout of an integrated circuit usually involves running through a sequence of well-defined work steps with the aim of designing a graphical representation of an electronic circuit that corresponds to the later actual arrangement of the circuit on the semiconductor substrate. This may comprise for example the creation of a logical circuit concept, a definition of the components and the interlinking thereof, and also a determination of positioning and wiring of the components. Since multiply recurring elements often regularly occur in integrated circuits, recourse is often had to predefined modular units when designing the layout. The modular units are typically represented graphically by cells when designing the circuit. The cells are also often referred to as standard cells in the technical literature and can be stored in machine-readable cell libraries.